


63 Days

by elenajames



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shifters, Angst, Graphic Description, M/M, Mpreg, One Shot, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 14:22:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11946102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elenajames/pseuds/elenajames
Summary: Nolan's been sick, but his health problems are nothing new, not something he likes to advertise if he can help it, but this is anything but run-of-the-mill.





	63 Days

**Author's Note:**

> Graphic depiction of birth. Just fyi. I have...no explanation for this.

 

Rolling out of bed, Claude stumbles across the room blearily, yanking the door open if only to silence whoever’s banging on the other side. Jordan’s eyes are wide and the fear on his face kicks Claude’s heart into overdrive. 

 

“What’s wrong?” 

 

“It’s Nolan. Come on.” 

 

Jordan fumbles his card a couple times before finally getting the reader to beep, shoving the door in and making sure it shuts quickly behind them as he ushers Claude inside. One bed is empty, rumpled with the blankets thrown back and the other - 

 

The other contains an adolescent wolf, whining in pain and Claude’s suddenly hoping he’s dreaming. There’s blood smeared on the sheets and - as he gets closer - the unmistakeable sound of a crying pup. 

 

“Oh, Patty,” Claude murmurs, reaching out to pet gently over the kid’s ears. His attempt at a growl fades into another whine and Claude can practically see the contraction hit. He waits it out before trying to touch Nolan again. This time, Nolan leans into the touch and he only offers the barest growl when Claude goes to pick up the already-born pup. It’s covered in fluid and crying weakly, picking up in volume as Claude rubs its back and belly. “You need to clean him up, kid.” 

 

Obediently, Nolan starts lapping at the puppy when Claude places it closer to him and the pup’s whines subside a little. 

 

“Claude?” Jordan’s voice startles him, and Claude feels bad that he nearly forgot Jordan was there. “Can I help?” 

 

“Go get Ivan,” Claude decides after a moment. “He needs someone ah. More familiar.” 

 

Jordan’s gone like a shot, padding off down the hall. A yelp from Nolan drags Claude’s attention back, and he reaches out to steady the young shifter as he births another pup. Nolan whimpers low in his throat, eyes closing while he works to push the pup out. Claude manages to pull a strained purr from his own chest, trying to soothe his teammate as best he can. 

 

Nolan doesn’t protest this time when Claude picks up the newborn, just setting to work cleaning it when Claude moves it closer. The other pup has wriggled its way close to Nolan and the steady sound of suckling takes over. 

 

“Last one, then, huh?” Claude murmurs, getting a little dip of Nolan’s head in response. He winces a little when Nolan pushes the afterbirth out and sets into eating it, but lets Nolan follow his instincts.

 

Claude slips away long enough to wash his hands. He can hear the card reader beep, and Ivan’s trailing Jordan into the room just as Claude’s stepping out of the bathroom. Nolan whines pitifully when he catches sight of Ivan and a complicated series of emotions flickers across Ivan’s face as Claude watches them. 

 

“Jordan, why don’t you go crash in Ivan’s room, eh? We might be up a while.” Sleepily, Jordan nods and trudges out, leaving Claude with Ivan and Nolan. “Ivan. Are they yours?” 

 

Instead of answering, Ivan shakily steps closer to the bed, tentatively reaching for one of the pups. In a blink, Nolan’s human again, scooping up the pups and scrambling backwards, stuttering apologies as he goes. He winds up pressed against the headboard, crying pups cradled to his chest. Claude aches to look at him. 

 

“I’m s-sorry,” he says again, choking a little on a sob. There’s blood and amniotic fluid smeared on his thighs and belly, streaks of it on his cheeks from the pups and afterbirth, and all Claude wants to do is hold him. 

 

“Don’t. It’s okay, right, Ivan? We’re all going to be fine.” Claude’s taking a gamble; most alpha shifters react well to offspring, but there’s always a chance. Ivan’s nodding, though, a purr starting in his chest as he creeps closer to the bed. Slowly, Nolan lets him settle next to him on the mattress. “There, see? It’s alright.” 

 

Gingerly, Ivan pets one pup, then the other, hands shaky as he does so. It takes a little coaxing, but Nolan eventually lets Ivan hold their children, watching with teary eyes as Ivan shushes them, the rumble of his purr lulling them to sleep. 

 

“Patty, why don’t we clean you up?” It’s not easy, coaxing the kid into the shower; Claude winds up having to leave the bathroom door open, steam filling both rooms as the water heats up. Nolan washes shakily, legs weak enough that Claude stays with him. He winces when he runs a cloth between his legs and the water runs pink for a moment. 

 

“Claude.” Nolan sounds panicked, and Claude leans in to steady him despite how his clothes are getting soaked. 

 

“It’s normal. It’s okay. You just pushed out a couple of babies, yeah? There’s bound to be some blood.” Claude’s running through everything Danny and his sister ever told him about having kids, and he’s sure light bleeding is normal. “Just - you’ll need to see a doc anyway, but tell me if it gets worse.” 

 

Nolan dries himself perfunctorily before stumbling back toward the bed. Ivan’s moved with the pups to Jordan’s clean one, the mess of the other covered by the dark coverlet. Nolan curls up near Ivan’s side, taking the pups back and bundling them close beneath the sheets. 

 

Together, Claude and Ivan pack Jordan and Nolan’s things, stripping the bed down as best they can. The sun’s already coming up, leaving them only a few hours before they have to be on a plane back home. Nolan’s drifted off by the time they’re done. Ivan goes to him with a little prodding, and Claude leaves them to it. He has calls to make and hopes he can catch at least an hour or so more of sleep before they fly out.

 

* * *

 

They’ve both been quiet since talking to Hextall and the team. Everyone’s shocked, but no one has anything negative to say, really. Jordan keeps shooting them worried looks from across the aisle, but Nolan’s doing his best to ignore it. He has a pup to contend with, crying pitifully in his arms while the one Ivan is holding is already sleeping, lulled to sleep by the steady rumble of Ivan’s purr. Nolan tries to summon one, but it starts out weak and peters out, stress killing it immediately. 

 

"Nolan," Ivan says low, shifting the pup he's holding so he can pull Nolan close. His purr vibrates in his chest and into Nolan, cutting sharply through his stress. He turns his face into Ivan's neck and cries quietly, trying not to sob loud enough to let the others hear. The pup in his arm whimpers in response to his distress, but Nolan won't give him up when Claude comes over to find out what’s wrong. He turns into Ivan instead, cradling their babies between them until Ivan's purr can soothe the pups and himself.

 

“I’m sorry.” He’d been sick for weeks, but trying to downplay it. If he’d said something- 

 

“Nolan. Don’t.” Gentle lips brush his forehead, and Nolan can feel more tears welling up. He’s freaking out inside, but on the plane isn’t the best place to have this discussion. Ivan picks his purr back up, and Nolan lets it soothe him, grateful for the breadth of Ivan’s shoulders hiding him mostly from view. 

 

“Here.” A blanket drops down from behind them, Travis flicking it so it covers them both. Nolan takes the cover, tucking it in. 

 

“Thanks, man,” he murmurs, not quite able to look Travis in the face. 

 

“Hey. We’re here for you guys, you know? We got your backs.” 

 

Nolan risks a glance, then, to find Travis smiling at him, only half-sure of himself until Nolan offers a small smile back. “Thank you,” Nolan says sincerely. He blushes when Ivan presses a kiss to his cheek in approval. 

 

Getting home is a relief. Hexy puts him on IR, giving the media a vague answer about his injury with a serene smile and some easy words of praise. It’s a surprise, really, how well management takes the birth; they get Nolan to a doctor, a private one that recommends a pediatrician for the pups once Nolan has been given a clean bill of health. He still can’t play for a couple of weeks, at least, not until the pups have shifted into their human forms and can be left with a nanny. 

 

The only real hurdle left for him to leap is Ivan. 

 

“They’re yours,” Nolan blurts on the way home from their first appointment. He’s in the back seat of Ivan’s car with the pups, trying to soothe their whimpers after being poked and prodded by the pediatrician. Ivan gives him a quizzical look in the rearview mirror for a moment before shifting his attention back to the road. 

 

“I know, Nolan.” 

 

“I just - I didn’t want you to think -” 

 

“You wouldn’t sleep around on me. I know.” Nolan doesn’t mean to tear up, but Ivan sounds so calm, so  _ sure _ , that he can’t help it. That kind of faith is staggering in the face of all the fear and doubt he’s been trying to swallow back since he’d gone into labor. 

 

“I’m happy they’re mine,” Ivan admits, using a red light to look at Nolan again. “Sooner than either of us would have planned, maybe, but still.” 

 

“You’re not angry?” 

 

“No. Not angry. We did this together. We’ll keep doing it together. Right?” 

 

“Right,” Nolan breathes. Ivan doesn’t say anything as he swipes at his eyes with one hand, turning back to the baby seat and running his fingers through the fur of the one still-whimpering pup. 

 

“We’ll need names,” Ivan offers by way of topic change as he turns into their neighborhood, waiting patiently to park as traffic goes by. 

 

“I was thinking Alexander? And Nathan.” The car’s quiet for just long enough to make Nolan nervous and he starts to talk again before Ivan interrupts. 

 

“They’re good names,” he says slowly, putting the car in park. “Alexander. Alex, for short? Or Sasha?” 

 

“Sasha.” Nolan touches one pup, Ivan twisting in his seat to see. He’s the darker-furred of the two, Ivan’s parentage showing through; the other has Nolan’s deep brown coat. “And Nate.”

Unbuckling his seatbelt, Ivan leans in close enough to draw Nolan into a kiss. They can do this.


End file.
